I Am The American Legion: Al Ford

“Our organization needs peoplewho are going to go out and recruit and sell our organization to the community.And I enjoy doing it.”

Al Ford first went to an American Legion post while on a double date. He liked it and joined. Then he found something he liked just as much: asking others to join.Over the years, Ford has either started or revitalized approximately 150 Legion posts in Michigan.

“There is a need for what I do,” he says. “Our organization needs people who are going to go out and recruit and sell our organization to the community. And I enjoy doing it. I have a wife – we will soon be married 60 years – who travels with me and allows me to continue to do this.”

There’s no magic to why Ford has stayed a Legionnaire for 50 years. “I think the bug bit me or something,” he says. “I think The American Legion stands for more than having a good time. We have work to do in the community. Teach patriotism to our children. We’ve got a lot of veterans in our communities who need help. We need to be out there talking to (veterans), welcoming them back home. That’s our mission.”